For awhile now I’ve been half wondering about my thyroid. It hasn’t been something I think about often, just once in awhile. I talked to my doctor about some concerns and she said she wanted to check my thyroid. Off to the internet I went! Oh the joys of WebMD and Google! Yet, I could explain away most of the symptoms and I was left feeling like I still had no answer.
Common symptoms include:
Anxiety…. I’ve always had anxiety, so this isn’t really a “symptom.”
Depression …. It’s winter and it’s Oregon. Duh.
Insomnia …. meh, I’ve had insomnia for years.
Rapid weight loss or gain …. my weight isn’t a factor of anything because I can gain and lose the same 5 pounds in a month depending on what I’ve eaten, what TOM it is, etc.
Fatigue …. I’ve been feeling burned out for awhile, see “depression” explanation.
Dry/Itchy Skin …. I swim and chlorine is murder on skin and hair.
Always Cold …. I lost 100 pounds. I’m gonna be cold.
See what I mean? All of the so-called “symptoms” can be explained away pretty easily. A simple blood test would rule it out definitively. But I’ve been procrastinating. My doctor has ordered a blood test for my thyroid and to also check for anemia. I went by the lab on Monday night after work and the wait was too long so I left. I had somewhere to be!
I met my cousin Anna at The Press Club on SE Clinton for dinner and drinks. Unfortunately we missed happy hour by literally minutes (boo). One of my pet peeves is businesses that do not have websites. In this day in age, it’s a no-brainer to have a website. It’s especially needed for restaurants, so I am always baffled when I come across restaurants that do not have one. This was the case with The Press Club. The sole reason I decided to go there anyway was the fact that friends had been there and recommended it.
We ordered the house red, which was a Chianti-Sangiovese blend. It was decent, sweet wine that tasted more like Chianti than anything else. Anna ordered the smoked salmon and caper crepe. I ordered a sandwich.
Everything on the menu was named after a writer. I ordered the Denis Johnson sandwich: Hot Coppa Salami, Provolone cheese, Chili Oil, Whole Grain Mustard and Arugula on a Pearl Bakery baguette.
The sandwich was pretty good. I loved the bread. The baguette was both crunchy and soft. I liked the flavors a lot and ate the whole thing without shame. It was a good sandwich!
The place wasn’t very crowded. I liked the vibe of the restaurant. The waitress was kind of a dud, though. She never came to our table to check in and when we wanted to order another glass of wine, it took awhile to flag her down.
I didn’t mind the invisible waitress too much because we were enjoying our conversation and didn’t want interruptions. After we were done with dinner, we decided to split a dessert (again, had to flag her down). It was between the chocolate chunk cookie and the raspberry brownie. Rock-paper-scissors decided we’d split the brownie but they were out. We split the warm, chocolate chip cookie and enjoyed every gooey bite!
We had a nice night catching up on things and the quiet restaurant was relaxing. It was a good way to decompress after the work day. I forgot about the stress and the thyroid stuff and just enjoyed the company. Isn’t girl time the best?
QUESTION: What’s something you’ve been putting off in terms of taking care of yourself? Why are you procrastinating?
Karen P
Good luck with your lab work. Yes, thyroid symptoms can over lap a whole host of common symptoms.
The absolute best thing you can do-IMO, is get your baseline thyroid levels checked now, and then 3 months down the line. That will give the doc good info on what might or might not be going on.
My thyroid stopped working (probably Hasimoto’s- hypothyroid) in my early 30’s and I did not feel good and did not get diagnosed correctly at the start. The treatment was easy for me, thyroid replacement has worked well for me once properly diagnosed, but if you need it, get it ASAP. No need to feel yucky for longer than you need.
I’d also like to recommend this web site for reading more about lab tests (I’m a laboratory professional!) and I always refer my friends and family to this peer reviewed, commercial free web site for additional, up to date, and accurate info as a guide about lab testing. http://labtestsonline.org/ Use the menu on the right side of the page to navigate lab tests and more.
Good luck and hope your blood work gets you the correct diagnosis. 🙂
Lisa Eirene
Thanks for the comment, Karen. I never did get around to getting the blood test because I came down with a cold. But next week I’ll take care of it. Thank you for the suggestions too!
Queenie
Well, it’s all up to you whether you want it or not but just think of it’s benefits first and weigh it out within yourself which one really matters most. You can always make a choice to make a change, and much more to your health. If you still consider to live long then why not take the most appropriate one?
Lisa Eirene
Well said! I agree. Better to know and move forward.